Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 175W, on Food Supply Networks Review, how many times he has met Professor Chris Elliott since March 2014.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State forEnvironment, Food and Rural Affairs has met with Professor Chris Elliott twice since March 2014.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of outdoor-reared pigs in transmission of bovine TB; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The veterinary risk assessment on pigs has recently been reviewed. We intend to publish this in a forthcoming consultation package on TB in non-bovine farmed and companion animals.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the Elliot Report on food crime to be published; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
The Elliott Report is due to be published shortly.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many officials in his Department are currently working on food authenticity.
Answered by George Eustice
Currently, 13 Defra officials work wholly or partly on aspects of food authenticity. This includes work on food composition and standards, food labelling and related science, including development of methodologies for detecting food authenticity. Defra works closely with the Food Standards Agency which has responsibility for surveillance and enforcement policy.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the causes and effects of falls in beef farm gate prices; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
With supplies of cattle outstripping demand both at home and abroad, domestic prime cattle prices have been under pressure and have fallen throughout 2014. In May, prices were at their lowest level since mid-2012 and 15-20% lower than the peak reached in 2013. The European Commission (EC) Short Term Outlook expects beef prices to remain firm although below the 2013 record highs.
On 1 July, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment will be hosting a senior-level beef industry summit with retailers, meat processors and farmers to discuss falling farm gate beef prices and develop strategies for a sustainable British beef sector.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take in response to falls in beef farm gate prices.
Answered by George Eustice
With supplies of cattle outstripping demand both at home and abroad, domestic prime cattle prices have been under pressure and have fallen throughout 2014. In May, prices were at their lowest level since mid-2012 and 15-20% lower than the peak reached in 2013. The European Commission (EC) Short Term Outlook expects beef prices to remain firm although below the 2013 record highs.
On 1 July, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment will be hosting a senior-level beef industry summit with retailers, meat processors and farmers to discuss falling farm gate beef prices and develop strategies for a sustainable British beef sector.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many herd owners have (a) failed to complete TB surveillance tests on time and (b) received reductions in their Single Payment Scheme payments since the introduction of a revised TB testing regime in January 2014.
Answered by George Eustice
Owners of cattle herds are given a two or three month window to complete their TB surveillance tests, depending on whether they are subject to annual or four yearly surveillance testing. The enhanced cross compliance rule for overdue surveillance tests applies to cattle keepers with a testing window that started on or after 1 January 2014. In April 2014 (the most recent date for which we have data) 264 herd owners had failed to complete their TB tests on time, which compares to 689 overdue tests in April 2013. All of these herd owners who are Common Agricultural Policy scheme recipients will be liable to reductions in their payments once these become due, unless they can show that the late testing was beyond their control.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the regulatory impact of the changes to the CAP on farmers.
Answered by George Eustice
I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 23 June 2014. Official report: column 63W.
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of mango lots or number of shipments infested by tephriditae were rejected by Fera in each of the last five years; and from which source country each infected shipment was exported.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
The ban was imposed following persistent interceptions of plant pestson imports of Indian produce into the European Union (EU) and critical reports from the European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office audits in 2010 and 2013. Despite assurances from India in response to these reports the level of interceptions remained high. The EU's decision to introduce a ban was therefore fully justified and supported by all Member States including the UK, in line with our policy of strengthening plant health controls. Therefore, no alternatives to a ban were considered by Defra.
Protecting plant health is a key Defra objective. Plant pests and diseases such as those intercepted from India in recent years can cause serious damage to the UK glasshouse industry which is worth over £300 million per annum. However, I am aware of the importance of the mango trade and Defra officials are liaising with the Indian High Commission on what support the UK can offer to India to help it ensure compliance with EU import requirements.
The following table shows the number of consignments of mangoes imported into the UK in the last five years which were infested with Tephriditae (and therefore rejected) by country of origin. The European Commission is considering similar measures to those taken against India for other countries with high levels of interceptions of plant pests. Such consideration takes account of findings from all Member States, and covers all plant commodities and all pests identified.
Year | Country of origin | No. of consignments imported into the UK | No. of consignments infected with Tephritidae |
2010 | Dominican Republic | 351 | 1 |
| India | 1977 | 1 |
| Jamaica | 228 | 3 |
| Pakistan | 3302 | 6 |
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2011 | Dominican Republic | 417 | 2 |
| India | 1836 | 11 |
| Jamaica | 262 | 3 |
| Pakistan | 3690 | 19 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 144 | 1 |
| Uganda | 138 | 1 |
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2012 | Bangladesh | 146 | 1 |
| Brazil | 445 | 1 |
| Costa Rica | 70 | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 606 | 18 |
| Ghana | 628 | 15 |
| India | 3448 | 23 |
| Jamaica | 332 | 24 |
| Kenya | 2044 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 5128 | 81 |
| Philippines | 12 | 2 |
| Sri Lanka | 189 | 10 |
| St Lucia | 50 | 1 |
| Thailand | 1050 | 3 |
| Uganda | 104 | 2 |
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2013 | Brazil | 316 | 3 |
| Dominican Republic | 756 | 16 |
| Ghana | 357 | 4 |
| Guinea | 7 | 1 |
| India | 3563 | 13 |
| Jamaica | 516 | 17 |
| Kenya | 1654 | 17 |
| Pakistan | 5910 | 47 |
| Puerto Rico | 104 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 111 | 3 |
| U A E | 1 | 1 |
| Vietnam | 77 | 1 |
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2014 (to 18/06/14) |
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| Brazil | 106 | 1 |
| Dominican Republic | 420 | 3 |
| Ghana | 271 | 1 |
| India | 401 | 1 |
| Jamaica | 464 | 9 |
| Kenya | 698 | 7 |
| Mexico | 61 | 1 |
| Senegal | 4 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 69 | 3 |
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Source: Fera and Europhyt
Asked by: Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) economic and (b) infection risks to UK and EU fruit and vegetable production arise from the importation of mangoes or other fruit infested with tephritidae.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Tephritidae is listed as a ‘quarantine' pest under European Union (EU) legislation. All quarantine pests have been assessed as presenting a significant economic or environmental risk to the EU and therefore their introduction into its territory is prohibited.